This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…

500ml chicken stock

Method

Heat the oil and half the butter in a large lidded casserole. Season the chicken, then fry for about 5 mins on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Melt the rest of the butter in the pan. Add the onion, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Add garlic, cook for about 1 min, add the mushrooms, cook for 2 mins, then add the wine. Stir in the tomato purée, let the liquid bubble and reduce for about 5 mins, then stir in the thyme and pour over the stock. Slip the chicken back into the pan, then cover and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hr until the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Rapidly boil down the sauce for 10 mins or so until it is syrupy and the flavour has concentrated. Put the chicken legs back into the sauce and serve.

I have made this twice before - once with thighs, and once with mixed thighs and breast pieces (cut large split breasts in three pieces each). Both times it was incredibly delicious, exactly as the recipe was posted. Some people commented it was dry - but I make sure to just brown the chicken on both sides, over somewhat high heat, not cook it through - it will finish cooking in the sauce. I'm making it again tonight, with boneless, skinless breasts and will likely reduce the cooking time a bit, because it will cook a lot faster, and I don't want it to get tough.Thanks for a truly amazing, simple recipe that's perfectly fit for any guests you may have.

Absolutely wonderful dish, thank you James. The olive oil and the quantity of butter is just right, authentic, the French would never use anything else or change the quantities. So simple and easy to make, great to make the night before to infuse the flavours. Served with creamy, buttery mash and French green beans.

Husband made this tonight, what a treat after a tiring shift at work. It was so tasty, apparently it thickened up lovely so he didn't need to add any thickening agents i.e. Cornflour. The sauce element I reckon would be great used with steak & veg so we are going to do this again & have steak instead of chicken in this pot.

Made this exactly as stated (unusual for me as I generally tweak a recipe slightly without deviating too much from the original) and it was absolutely delicious. I did however, cook it in the oven rather than on the hob as I made it in a wide, shallow cast iron pot (which I felt would cook more evenly in the oven), before reducing the sauce on the stove. The sauce was rich and very flavoursome while the chicken fell off the bone it was so tender. Served with mash and seasonal veg. A hit all round with the family and I will definitely be making it again soon. Highly recommend this recipe.

I made this for my bosses, and it was such a hit, I was asked to make double the quantity for their friends two days later! The only changes I made was to add a sliced carrot per person at the start with the onions, and stirred in a couple of teaspoons of flour just after the mushrooms, before the liquid, to help thicken the sauce. Once finished, pop it in the oven on low, until you are ready to eat. Definately one to have up your sleeve for easy entertaining.

Really tasty, followed the recipe, but used 'light' red wine to reduce calories and still tasted great. Chicken stayed moist, however, I only cooked for 45mins then reduced sauce for 10mins - perferct.

i "kind of" followed this ! i used 4 x large chicken breasts each cut into 3. browned onions/lardons then added m'rooms til golden. browned chicken then all back in the wok with red wine/stock. used 1 x bay leaf and a sprinkle of oregano ... and it's smelling lovely ! and the 1st "taste" is pretty good too ... thanks Good Food Mag !!!

This was nice, although I didn't really follow the recipe too closely due to what they had in stock. I used 5 branches of Rosemary instead of Thyme, forgot to get mushrooms, so just used some canellini and butter beans instead, and used 4 tablespoons of tomato puree rather than 2. Also used about 10 chicken breasts and drumsticks since no legs in supermarket!

I made this exactly as the recipe said and it was fabulous. Normally I have to tweak things after making them once, but this recipe is perfectly spot-on. My husband loved it, my in-laws loved it, and I loved it! I'm making it again later this week. The recipe is definitely a keeper, exactly as posted.

Questions (8)

The alcohol is burned off in the cooking process so you don't need to worry about serving this dish to the whole family. However if you'd prefer not to use wine, you could replace it with stock. The results will of course differ from the original recipe. Cook in the same way as above.

If you are going to eat chicken skin, it should be crisp and tasty (in my opinion), like when you cook traditionally roasted legs or thighs. In this recipe the skin just goes limp (even with careful browning), has no flavour and takes on a horrid colour. This is a favourite recipe of mine, and I have tried it both ways. I think skin off is far better.

This recipe definitely needs the chicken skin on, as recommended. You can always take it off afterwards, if you do not wish to digest it. It adds to the required authentic flavour, the French would always have the skin on.

Tips (3)

i made this tonight, I followed the recipe apart for one thing, I purchased honey and mustard sausages and pork and leek sausages from the butchers. I cooked them first and then i sliced them up and put them in the casserole dish just before i covered it and let it cook for an hour. It was sensational, the sausages really soaked up the red wine sauce, would highly recommend to anybody.

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